Various cardiac support devices for treating congestive heart disease are known. One exemplary type of cardiac support device includes a cardiac jacket for reducing tension in the heart wall by constraining or resisting expansion of the heart. Devices and methods for delivering cardiac support devices using minimally invasive surgical procedures are also known. Such cardiac support devices and/or cardiac support device delivery devices are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,343; U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,972; U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,648; U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,906; U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,146; U.S. Pat. No. 6,682,476; U.S. Pat. No. 6,902,524; U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,856; U.S. Pat. No. 6,908,426; U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,533; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,951,534, all of which are assigned to Acorn Cardiovascular, Inc. and are incorporated herein by reference.
Other embodiments of cardiac support devices and/or cardiac support device delivery devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,732; U.S. Pat. No. 6,723,041; U.S. patent application publication no. US 2006/0009831 A1 published Jan. 12, 2006; U.S. patent application publication no. US 2005/0288715 published Dec. 29, 2005; U.S. patent application publication no. US 2005/0256368 A1 published Nov. 17, 2005; U.S. patent application publication no. US 2005/0171589 published Aug. 4, 2005; U.S. patent application publication no. US 2005/0090707 A1 published Apr. 28, 2005; and U.S. patent application publication no. US 2005/0059855 A1 published Mar. 17, 2005, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
There remains, however, a continuing need for improved delivery devices for cardiac support devices. In particular, there is a need for a delivery device for efficiently and effectively releasing the cardiac jacket over the heart.